I hear footsteps closing in

I recognize them from my early days

The times are different the image remains the same

Repeating back flashes remembering the name

Approaching visions of things I can't recall

A familiar smile awakes the pain

Unkept promises

The night awaits

The act of confidence

The kiss of Judas

Stratovarius - "The Kiss Of Judas"

Nick Fury suddenly appeared elsewhere. There was only a dim light around him, of unknown source, and darkness everywhere, as far as could be seen. And then he heard deep voices from above.

YOU. SMALL GOD. KNOW US. KNEEL BEFORE US.

Fury only saw vague traces of giant figures and was not sure what was happening now. "Who are you people?", he asked to the darkness.

WE ARE THE GODS OF GODS. NOTHING YOU DREAM OF IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH. WE WITNESS YOUR DEED. YOU DEFEATED DOOM. YOU ARE WORTHY OF OUR NOTICE. BUT WHY SHOULD YOU BE A GOD?

The question puzzled Fury. It was unexpected. It seemed that he was under some sort of trial, but he ignored the judges, the rules, what to expect. Even after those last days in Battleworld, he had no frame of reference to understand any of it. So he simply asked, "Why not?"

WE KNOW YOU, NICHOLAS FURY OF EARTH-1610. YOUR WORLD WAS BROKEN. YOUR WORLD WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE, MALEVOLENCE, AND DEPRAVITY. YOUR HULK WAS A CANNIBAL. YOUR PYM WAS A DOMESTIC ABUSER. YOUR WOLVERINE HAD AFFAIRS WITH MINORS.

"Wait, what? Logan did what? On second thought, never mind. What exactly are we discussing here?"

OH, NO...

And suddenly, two figures appeared next to Fury, with human proportions this time. Two teenagers, a boy with some strange clothes, and a girl that seemed to be a ghost. He said he was Loki, and that made Fury wary of him: Loki, like the one that led the Liberators against the US, and who summoned mythological monsters in Washington DC? "No, not that Loki. There are countless variants of us in the multiverse". That part, at least, Fury could understand. The whole crisis with the incursions started with alternate people from other universes. "Don't worry, I'm the good guy Loki. I'll be your lawyer. I'm here to help you!". The ghost protested, and Loki clarified himself. "Sorry, my friend Verity does not like it when I lie, even if a bit. I'm not here to help you, I'm here to troll those giant jackasses a bit more, but the result is the same! Isn't it, Verity?". The ghost agreed, and Loki continued. "So what if 1610-hulk was a cannibal? Wasn't 616-Venom a Cannibal, too? So what if 1610-Pym was a domestic abuser? Wasn't 616-Pym one of the first superheroes in the multiverse to do that? So what if Wolverine took advantage of being in Peter Parker's body to flirt with Mary Jane? Wasn't it a small one-time occurrence, with nothing coming out of it? Wasn't there a small one-time occurrence when the elder 616-Charles Xavier desired the teenager Jean Grey? As for violence, malevolence, and depravity… didn't the 616 universe have a dark period known as "the nineties"? But do you judge that universe in equal terms because of that?" Fury was confused by those things Loki was saying. He knew the names he was mentioning but did not quite understand the ideas. Verity was equally lost: Loki was only asking questions, and she could not discern truths or lies, as questions are neither true nor false.

THAT… IS IRRELEVANT. WE ARE HERE TO JUDGE. WE JUDGE THAT THE 1610-UNIVERSE IS NOT WORTHY OF CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE.

"Says who? A bunch of bureaucrats at the behest of a cosmic mice? I'm the God of Stories and I say that, as long as someone, anyone, wants to narrate a new story set in a given universe, that universe still lives! So who says that this is the last Ultimate story?"

SPEAK… SPEAK NO MORE! WE COMMAND THEE!

"Let's go ahead! Let's narrate a new Ultimate story! Here, at the end of all things, let the last teller tell a new story! And we start with the magic words: 'Once upon a time…' WOULD YOU KNOW MORE?

And then they disappeared. Those Who Sit Above In Shadow were gone, as well as the darkness. Only Nick Fury, Loki, and Verity Willis remained, in a completely white landscape. "Gone, to wherever they came from", said Loki. "You still have to face the 'God of Gods', but don't worry, it's not those guys". So he took a marker and draw a door in the air. And opened it. This seemed to be so wrong for Fury, at so many levels, but he had been dealing with improbable and plain absurd stuff so much lately, that he simply went along with it.

He crossed the door and found himself at what seemed to be a giant drawing studio. He saw several drawing boards, cork boards with countless sticky notes and deadline warnings, bags filled with envelopes and packages, old comics all around… and a smiling old man came to receive him. "Welcome, welcome, frantic fan! Welcome to the Bullpen, or, as we call it, the House of Ideas!". Not exactly what Fury expected a godlike figure to look like, so he asked him directly. "No, of course not. I'm not any God, I'm just a writer with some ideas. You can call me Stan. And look, there's all the gang. Say hello, Jack, Steve, John, Roy! Sorry, I should be familiar with you, but my memory is not what it used to be, and it wasn't that great, to begin with! What's your name, son?" Nick Fury was perplexed by the strange conversation. He had never seen this man, and yet he felt he knew him somehow. "Nick Fury? That's strange. Yes, the patch is there, but when did you get this… oh, wait! You are not my Nick Fury! You are the one by Mark! Nice fella, that Mark and his friend Brian! They have not retired like us, but we can still see their good work from here, and read about their projects. I heard he has a new series in Netflix, whatever that is."

Fury interrupted him, he was confused about the comment about not being "his" Nick Fury. He explained that he created the original Nick Fury with Jack as a WWII soldier, that they then reinvented the character as the leader of a spy network, and that Mark made him, his own version, during a relaunch for a comic set in another universe. Fury hardly understood anything he was saying, so he preferred to skip to the important part. He mentioned that his universe had been destroyed by an incursion, that Dr. Doom created Battleworld, and asked him if he could restore his universe. "Sorry, but I can't do that anymore. Jack, Steve, Joe, me, we have all retired from the world-making business. Your world was created by Mark and Brian, but they can't help you either. Mark has moved to more important stuff, such as films and TV. Did you know he's making another series as we speak, starred by bad guys? And Brian has betrayed us and moved to the Distinguished Competition, but no hard feelings! But he can't do anything about you until he returns. So… what should we do with you? Let some other of the new guys restore your world? Donny, perhaps? Al? Dan? Nick? Jason? No, wait. Let's not interrupt them, they have their own work to keep doing. I have a better idea. Why don't you remake your world? Let's give you full author powers! You can restore everything as it was, change everything, or change just a bit here and there! Yes! By the powers invested on me by… me, I guess, I hereby declare you the Editor-In-Chief of the Ultimate Marvel division! Take one of our boards, and create your universe back, the way you think it should be! EXCELSIOR!

In this ghostly white

Leave out no legacy, no time to say goodbye

When dreams meet reality

And I know this tale is everlong

But we will fail no more

We'll be back to the place where we belong

Unending nights, neverending lights

I know I could live for centuries

But they'll be the brightest I'll ever see

Stand by my side in the darkest times

As this tragedy seems to be

Always enclosed in our memories

Frozen Crown - "Neverending"